State Ethics Commission complaint asks for probe to see if $11,343 in gifts swayed Republican governor's policy decisions.

A complaint asks the state Ethics Commission to conduct an investigation… (Chris Post, SPECIAL TO THE…)

March 06, 2013|By Steve Esack, Call Harrisburg Bureau

HARRISBURG — The State Democratic Party filed an ethics complaint against Republican Gov. Tom Corbett on Tuesday, citing a news story that he and his wife had accepted more than $11,000 in gifts from business leaders and lobbyists.

The complaint asks the state Ethics Commission to conduct an investigation to determine whether the gifts — including Pittsburgh Penguins hockey tickets for the governor and an inaugural gown for first lady Susan Corbett — led to the "possible improper influence" of government policy.

The complaint cites a story in the Philadelphia Daily News as the basis for the request for an ethics investigation. Using Corbett's public ethics disclosure statements, the Daily News reported "a pattern" in which Corbett made five policy decisions or got involved in issues after he or his wife received free travel, tickets to sporting events or shows and other extras totaling $11,343.

The article does not allege that Corbett violated the Ethics Act. But it does state that Corbett may have violated the Governor's Code of Conduct, a separate 33-year-old rule that bars members of the executive branch from accepting gifts from people or companies doing business with the state.

Corbett spokeswoman Janet Kelly said in an email:

"Governor Corbett has been clear that he makes all decisions based on what is in the best interests of Pennsylvanians. He has always fully complied with both the letter and the spirit of our state's financial reporting laws. His campaign finance report and his state ethics reports are both public documents, placed on a state website for all to see. The governor's actions have always been and will continue to be transparent and free of any conflict-of-interest."

The Daily News article said Corbett, prior to taking office, attended a brunch and the NHL's Winter Classic, an outdoor Penguins game in Pittsburgh on New Years Day 2011. The package, valued at $472, was paid for by a lobbyist for the University of Pittsburgh Medical School.

Ten months after the game, Corbett, serving as governor, helped broker a dispute between the western Pennsylvania hospital chain and that region's largest insurance company, Highmark, the report stated.

In another instance, Frank Schoeneman, chief executive of the Pottsville-based Empire Education Group, a chain of beauty schools, flew Corbett to a Pittsburgh event at a cost of $1,407 in December 2011.

Ten months later, Corbett signed a law intended to help cosmetology students who go to schools like Schoeneman's obtain a state license.

The state Ethics Act states: "No public official, public employee or nominee or candidate for public office shall solicit or accept anything of monetary value if the gift would sway or appear to sway official action or judgment."

Barry Kauffman, executive director of the good government group Common Cause, said he does not think Corbett violated the Ethics Act. But Kauffman said it appears Corbett violated the Governor's Code of Conduct, which Gov. Dick Thornburgh instituted in 1980 and is more strict than the Ethics Act.

Billy Pittman, spokesman for the state Republican Party, said: "We support Governor Corbett's strong record of transparency."

John Hanger, a Democratic candidate for governor and former secretary of environmental protection under Gov. Ed Rendell, called on Corbett to affirm that his administration follows the Governor's Code of Conduct by paying back the gifts."

"Gov. Corbett has made a major mistake that threatens to corrupt the operations of the executive branch unless corrected immediately," Hanger said.

Robert P. Caruso, acting executive director of the Ethics Commission, said each complaint goes through a review process that can last up to six months if the allegations are found to have merit.